There have been a lot of comments in the blogosphere lately regarding the very successful Blogher08 conference in San Francisco. Each year the conferences get better, are more organized, have increasingly exciting panels and events, and just simply top the previous year. I've got to hand it to my wife Jory, her two partners Lisa and Elisa, and the whole Blogher team - they totally outdid themselves this time.
It's hard to believe that despite the fairly unanimous overly positive review of the conference, there's also been some commentary oozing from cyberspace regarding the "exclusivity" of BlogHer as a “women’s only” event. While I can't deny that the conference ratio seems roughly 20:1 (W:M), I can only think of positive things about this ratio as well as the format of the conference. I’m not going to rant and rave, like so many others have about the pros and cons of the gender-bias of BlogHer, as I fully support the rhyme and reason for it. But, in an effort to provide some insight regarding why a man might go to BlogHer, or what he could possibly get out of it, I thought that I’d provide this man's perspective of the BlogHer08 conference:
This was the third (of four) BlogHer summer conferences I have attended. Unfortunately last year's conference in Chicago didn't work with my project schedule.
There might not be a better location than this year’s Union Square destination. I’m not just saying that because I work a block away and could easily run over to the office to handle things without being missed, but I think that the location was perfect given the proximity to transportation, hotels, restaurants, shopping, and trolleys. And the views weren't bad either
Jory and I have developed an unwritten pact that during the summer conference I will assist as either her personal assistant when there’s papers to push or as her omnipresent side-kick when there’s super-hero work to be done. Unlike most of the few men at the conference, I am there to assist with the production of the event more so than to enjoy the diverse content and scenery that is provided. While I do get to enjoy the panels (especially when it is one of Jory's) I spend most of my time running here and there to make sure that there's someone to pick up the slack or to muscle feisty sponsors who are unhappy with the location they picked.
Remember the scene from the Bourne Identity when Matt Damon is trying to escape from the American Embassy in Zurich and in order to plan his route he grabs the fire escape map off the wall to get a lay of the land? That’s me on day one at the crack of dawn. As BlogHer has had all of their events at different locations so far, often no one is familiar with the layout of the building. There are always countless inquiries about restroom locations, where the food is, where the registration is, where the lactation room or childcare center is, where Elmo can be found, etc. So, when the conference starts, I'm always prepared to break out the GPS to help folks find where they need to be.
Both mornings of day one and day two, I could be found stuffing, unpacking, and stocking the tote bags. 
Let me tell you, there's nothing liking handing out schwag bags to hundreds of excited women chomping at the bit to get the party started, at 8:00 am. This year, the bag storage location and registration table were nowhere near each other, so 50lb boxes of pre-stuffed bags had to be schlepped for the first few hours of each day from one end of the hotel to the other. I still can’t figure out why I decided to wear a shirt with cuff links that first morning.
As you can imagine at a conference almost entirely of women, there's an excess of estrogen in the building. Disputes are always handled with the utmost respect, conversations are managed, arguments are avoided, and agreeable compromises are made. However, I have found it necessary, this year being no different than the rest, to step in and assist as the BlogHer muscle. Call me Guido if you must, but I have learned in these instances that there's nothing like a hefty dose of male attitude and stubbornness to solve a problem real quick and net some significant quantifiable results, without breaking any knee caps.
After months of planning for the conference there are myriads of things that can go wrong in Jory's mind: speeches to memorize, sponsors to tend to, fellow blogging buddies to meet/speak to in real life, impressions to make, and the list goes on and on and on and on. One can not begin to imagine what Jory's calendar and to-do list looks like during the weeks before and during the conference. Being there to help Jory make something happen, go find people, talk her down from a ledge, help her organize things, make sure she has ample contact lens solution, that she has two of the same socks on, and that she gets nightly massages to relax her to sleep is probably my most important role. Providing her with unwavering support is the thing that brings me the most joy during the conference. And it should, as at its heart, the BlogHer conference is all about support and promotion of women in the blogosphere.
After all this time....and look. Something told me to check out your site. What a wonderful post Jess. Jory always tells me how incredible you are to have at the conference and I can see why. The one I was at....last year's....you weren't, so I didn't get to see you in action, but I know how much you do and how much you are appreciated by Jory and all the ladies. Now that I've seen one of these conferences first hand in person...WOW...they are truly amazing, and are only getting more amazing as they go on. Hey, does Jory even know about this post? Really nice sweetie.....Love, Mom DJ
Posted by: Joy | Thursday, August 07, 2008 at 06:24 AM